DULUTH 鈥� DFL delegates engaged in some lively debate during their state convention in Duluth over the weekend and came out with a cemented party platform and an endorsed candidate for a Minnesota Senate seat.
"The most important thing about the convention is picking a candidate to lead our party's ticket in November, and we united overwhelmingly behind Amy Klobuchar," DFL Party spokesperson Darwin Forsyth said. "Meanwhile, Minnesota Republicans are mired in divisive costly primaries for Senate, Congress, and competitive legislative seats 鈥� with a convicted felon leading their party."
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Delegates this weekend voted on 113 different resolutions to add to the party platform, endorsed Klobuchar for reelection to the Senate, nominated national delegates and heard speeches from prominent Minnesota DFLers including Gov. Tim Walz.
While the convention overall was seemingly smooth, some points of contention did emerge surrounding Klobuchar's endorsement, mining in the Iron Range, and the war in Gaza.
Klobuchar, three times elected since 2006, faced no official Democrat challengers and an attempt to nominate another candidate failed to get the amount of support needed.
That nomination was led by a progressive anti-war wing of the DFL that wanted to confront Klobuchar regarding the war in Gaza.
The Gaza issue led to some passionate speeches over the weekend. Views on what the party policy should be towards the war, Israel and the Palestinian people were diverse .
"We want to know why we have any money for bombs when there's Minnesotans going hungry, sleeping out on the streets and lacking adequate health care," Jerod Martinson, a DFL delegate, told Forum News Service.
Several dozen protesters joined party delegates outside the Duluth Convention Center on Saturday.
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They called for a ceasefire and for U.S. divestment from Israel due to their belief that the country has failed to adhere to international norms in warfare.
One of the resolutions, which would make it party policy to define as anti-Semitic denials of Israel鈥檚 right to exist as a country, was met with resistance from seven Jewish delegates.
The delegates, in a statement, said the resolution ignores Jewish disagreement with Zionism, which calls to sustain a "Jewish state" within the historical lands of Palestine.
"On a personal note, as Jewish dissenters of Zionism we would find it quite distressing to have our own political party declare us to be antisemitic," the delegates wrote.
To that, there was pushback from delegates, some of whom also identified as Jewish, who concurred with the resolution. One delegate commented that there was no genocide or ethnic cleansing in Gaza right now and that it is simply a war.
That resolution, which condemns antisemitism, was amended to take the contested language out and delegates approved the resolution on Sunday.
For context, the DFL current platform recognizes
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The divide between party members over the war in Gaza could be costly for Biden and Democrats as progressive members take on the party establishment.
A national movement to vote uncommitted during Democratic state primaries for president had a decently strong showing in Minnesota with about 19% of voters choosing "uncommitted." The latest polls show Trump and Biden in a mathematical dead heat.
Other resolutions related to Israel and Palestine and how delegates voted:
- Ceasefire and Humanitarian Aid: Supports immediate release of hostages, and prisoners held without trial, immediate humanitarian aid, and an immediate ceasefire through continued peace efforts in Gaza. APPROVED
- Civilian Safety: The halt of human atrocities and a prioritization of civilian safety for the Palestinian and Israeli people. NOT APPROVED
- Palestinian Rights: Support the human rights of Palestinians and support recognition of the Palestinian state. NOT APPROVED
- Release Unjustly Held Political Prisoners: Supports Israel immediately releasing any unjustly held political prisoners. NOT APPROVED
- Fund UNRWA: Supports funding of UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees.) NOT APPROVED
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DFL 2024 State Convention Platform resolutions
Also at issue this weekend were concerns about copper-nickel mining in the Iron Range , an issue that pitted the DFL's union members against its environmental wing.
A resolution to support a legislative hearing on the "Prove It First" legislation was amended to simply support a legislative hearing on copper-nickel mining in general. The "Prove It First" legislation would require proof a copper-nickel mine has operated in the U.S. for 10 years without causing pollution and had closed for 10 years without causing pollution. Delegates approved the amended resolution on Sunday.
While proponents of the "Prove It First" legislation did not support the amendment, they view it as a step forward, said delegate Chris Knopf.
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Knopf is also the executive director for Friends of the Boundary Waters, an environmental group that seeks stronger protections for Minnesota's ecosystem.
Republicans took a swing at DFLers over the mining debate.
"It is crystal clear 鈥� the DFL is the anti-mining party and will do anything they can to stifle us," Rep. Peter Stauber wrote on social media. Stuaber represents northeastern Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
To my Iron Range friends: the DFL is making fun of you and mocking our way of life. It is crystal clear - the DFL is the anti-mining party and will do anything they can to stifle us.
— Pete Stauber (@PeteStauber)
Knopf said claims that the DFL is against mining in general is a distortion of the truth.
"We're not against taconite mining," he told Forum News Service, adding that copper-nickel mining presents a much different level of risk in regards to clean water in the state.
A look into Democrat campaigning
The weekend also gave a window into what the DFL campaign strategy will be this election season.
DFL leaders and politicians boasted about the party鈥檚 successes in Minnesota while condemning the MAGA movement during their state convention.
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"We're heading into the general election with a record of delivering for working families on issues like free school meals and paid family leave," DFL spokesperson Forsyth said. "Republicans will have to defend an extreme and unpopular agenda, from banning abortion to tax cuts to the rich."
Trump鈥檚 recent conviction has given Democrats a talking point that will likely be repeated during this election season. The former president was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a woman before the 2016 election.
DFL-endorsed candidates who spoke at the convention also painted their Republican opponents as extremists.
Jen Schultz, the DFL-endorsed candidate for Congressional District 8 covering northeastern Minnesota, said her opponent, Stauber, is part of a chaos caucus in Congress.
鈥淪tauber is a real threat to our democracy,鈥� she claimed. She believes Stauber was resistant to investigate the Jan. 6 riots led by Trump supporters upset over unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. The events of the day led to five deaths in 36 hours and hundreds of arrests.
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